New charge for Newmarket mom accused of endangering kids

By Jeff McMenemy

newsletter@seacoastonline.com

February 21, 2013 - 12:27 PM

NEWMARKET — A mother facing child endangerment charges, after her two young children returned from school on a sub-freezing day in January to find themselves locked out of their apartment, now faces multiple drug charges in Andover, Mass., according to Andover Police Lt. William Ouellette.

Pudims also is facing charges of possession of an electronic stun gun and possession of a dangerous weapon - a brass knuckles knife, according to Ouellette, who said police found cocaine, heroin and a crack pipe in the couple's car.

Fahey “spiked the interest” of police who were at the gas station when she walked over to the cruiser and “made some conversation,” about how the plates on the couple's car had expired, Ouellette said.

Asked how unusual it was for someone now charged with having heroin, cocaine and weapons in her car to strike up a conversation with police, Ouellette said, “People do all kinds of things.”

Fahey faces charges of a Class A felony for possession of heroin and a Class B felony for possession of cocaine, as does Pudims. They are scheduled to be arraigned in Lawrence (Mass.) District Court Thursday, Ouellette said.

He noted that when officers walked over to the car, it was clear the plates and registration were expired.

“They looked inside and saw several bags of clothing, and then they saw some drug paraphernalia inside the car in plain view,” Ouellette said. “They also found a crack pipe, cocaine and other drugs in the car.”

There was no one else with them when they were arrested, he said.

Their arrest in Andover came about a month after police were called to the Newmarket couple's apartment when neighbors heard Fahey's two children, ages 6 and 10, outside crying in “sub-freezing temperatures,” according to Newmarket Police Lt. Kyle True.

The children arrived home on their school bus to find themselves locked out of their apartment in “sub-freezing temperatures,” with their mother nowhere to be found, say police.

True said police eventually located Fahey by calling her on the phone, but when they went inside the apartment, they found heroin in plain sight.

True said the heroin was out in the open and within reach of the children, which led to the drug charges against Fahey and Pudims.

Neither child was dressed for the cold, True said.

Reached Thursday morning, True said his department would try to revoke the bail set for Fahey and Pudims in light of the charges filed against them in Andover.

“From a law enforcement standpoint, it's frustrating when there are services out there for people to get help with substance abuse and they don't follow through,” he said.

Both Fahey and Pudims are scheduled to be arraigned on March 5 in the 10th Circuit Court in Brentwood, True said. They had been released on personal recognizance bail in connection with the Newmarket charges.